invention

"Ambient adverts" gaining ground... literally

Emmanuel F24 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:16:30 +0200

Coop's Paints'advert. Published by "hojimoto".

Paint pouring out of the walls, a drain that becomes a steaming cup of coffee... You may have seen adverts like this in your city or received them by email. It's a new form of advertising which is trying to look not too much like an advert.

Ambient media is a new form of advertising which belongs to the environment without agressively forcing itself on consumers who pass by.

Since 2003, these adverts have achieved real success. Seen first in big North and South American cities (Rio de Janeiro, New York), they have now started invading Europe and the Middle East. In major advertising agencies, whole departments are now dedicated to ambient adverts and even have their own category at the international advertising festival Cannes Lions.

US mail distributor Fedex. Published by "Avi Abrams".

Advert for pasta brand ‘Mondo Pasta' in the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Published by "dashowcase".

Advert for a conditioner in Bangkok, Thailand. "To untangle all this, use Rejoice conditioner". Published by "dashowcase".

Advert on a drain in New York City. "The city that never sleeps. Wake Up". Published by "dashowcase".

"The world's largest self-made video game"

Julien — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:50:28 +0200

From the age of 10, Robert Pelloni dreamed of an “ideal” video game. Whilst having coffee with friends one day, he began scribbling ideas on napkins. Five years later he’d created what he suggests is possibly the world’s largest self-made video game. In those five years Bob hardly left home, working night and day on his project, with no internet connection and virtually no social life, his bedroom floor strewn with papers.

Bob is basically a self-taught game designer. In High School he took an introductory class on C++ programming, though he had no previous training of graphics or game design. He first got a dot to move on a screen, then designed a character and got it to move. Soon Bob had his basic story ready. His 65-song soundtrack was recorded using sound waves, while sound effects were produced with objects and recorded with a microphone. Hence, the sound of footsteps was created using a real shoe. He reckons the whole thing cost him less than $10,000, whereas the average game today costs about $500,000 to make.

Floating cities in the pipeline for climate refugees

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:09:00 +0200

Climatologists around the world agree that sea levels will continue to rise throughout the 21^st century. Countries with low-lying coastal areas like Vietnam and Bangladesh could see more floods and the loss of land, and some Pacific Islands could one day end up completely submerged. But not to worry - a Belgian architect has come up with a solution. He's designed "amphibian towns" to house the future refugees.

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) predicts a sea level increase of between 20 and 90 centimetres by 2050. On the scale of the planet, each metre gained will see the forced exodus of around 50 million people. To offer a solution to those left homeless, Franco-Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has come up with the "Lilypad" project. The young architect, known for his futuristic designs, describes his latest project as durable, ecological, and most importantly, unsinkable.

These marine cities, inspired by water lilies, would run entirely on renewable energies and therefore create no pollution. The environment would also be biometric - which means that the town's planning would make technological systems integral with ecosystems. It's emblematic of a new generation of architecture that emphasises the importance of ecology when it comes to aesthetic innovation.